Citizens of Heaven

It occurs to me that all of the great men of God, who have truly been ambassadors for Christ, have been to this world, foreigners. An ambassador is a citizen of a country, who then lives in another country and represents the country, and the country's interest, of his citizenship. So, we see that applied in a spiritual sense that our citizenship is in heaven, and that we are Christ and Heaven's representatives here on Earth. Then we have to ask, how well are we representing our homeland?

I wrote this statement while working on a sermon: "If they get the same thing inside these doors that they get outside of these doors: there is no reason for them to come inside." I was speaking about our churches, and if our churches are no different on the inside, than the world is on the outside; then there is little reason to be a proponent of bringing the lost in. On the other hand, if our churches are indeed representing Heaven's interests well, then there is every reason to engage in the work of winning the lost.

Plainly put, there must be a difference between Christians and the lost. It is in that very thing, the conversation, in the fullest since of the word, of a Christian, that the Holy Spirit convicts the sinner of his sin. It is in that difference that the salt develops its savor. It is in that difference that the lost are won to Christ and face the penalty of death no more. It is the very thing that makes us ambassadors for Christ.